1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to sounding devices. More specifically, the present invention relates to fishing-reel sounding devices that issue sound through rotation reciprocal between a first component, and a second component that rotates reciprocally with respect to the first component, of a fishing reel.
2. Background Information
In front-drag type spinning reels, a drag mechanism is fitted within the spool, which is mounted on the fore end of the spool shaft. The drag mechanism is provided in order to prevent line breakage due to excessive tension acting on the fishing line. The drag mechanism is furnished with one or several drag disks housed within the spool, a drag knob that presses on the drag disks, and a drag sounding mechanism that issues sound when the drag is operating.
With a spool in which a drag mechanism of this sort is fitted, when inordinate tension that exceeds the established drag force acts on the fishing line, the spool rotates in the line reel-out direction, which lets fishing line reel out to hold down increase in tension and keep the line from breaking. While the drag operates, in other words, when the spool (an example of a second component) rotates reciprocally with respect to the spool shaft (an example of a first component), the drag sounding mechanism issues sound.
Among drag sounding mechanisms known to date is a compactly constructed drag sounding mechanism having a sound-emitting member mounted non-rotatably to the spool shaft, a pawl member mounted on the spool so as to be pivotable around a shaft that is parallel to the spool shaft, and a plate spring that urges the pawl member into a contact posture. The sound-emitting member is a disk-shaped element with multiple gear-tooth-like jags formed on the outer periphery. The pawl member is an isosceles-triangle-shaped plate element. The corner flanked by the congruent edges contacts the sound-emitting member, while the plate spring contacts the bottom edge between the other two corners. The bottom edge of the pawl member that forms a contact surface is slightly curved into a round-arcuate form at a radius greater than the radius that joins to the pivotal center. The plate spring contacts the bottom edge, thereby urging the pawl member into the contact posture. The base end of the plate spring is mounted on the spool, and is bent over from the mounted end toward the bottom edge of the pawl member. This way, the plate spring extends from one side to the other side of the pawl-member bottom edge.
With a conventional drag sounding mechanism having a structure of this sort, when the spool rotates relative to the spool shaft during times the drag is operating, the pawl member pivots by being pressed on by the sound-emitting member. When the pawl member pivots, one of the sides of the pawl member presses on the plate spring. This way, the plate spring urges the pawl member, returning the pawl member into its original contact posture. The pawl member keeps colliding with the jags. Accordingly, the sounding mechanism issues sound.
With the conventional structure noted above, since the pivoting pawl member is made to collide with the sound-emitting member, it is possible for the sound-emitting member to issue a clear, crisp clicking noise. A problem nevertheless is that because the plate spring that extends from one side to the other side of the bottom edge of the pawl member is urged into contact with the bottom edge of the pawl member, the urging force varies according to the direction in which the spool rotates. Accordingly, the tone of the sound is altered. Specifically, between the situations in which the side of the pawl member nearer the mounting end of the plate spring presses on the plate spring, and in which the other side further from the mounting end presses on the plate spring, the displacement of the pawl member is greater and the urging force is greater when the side nearer the mounting end of the plate spring presses on the plate spring. This means that the urging force and the tone vary between the situations in which the spool rotates such that the one side presses, and in which the spool rotates such that the other side presses.
In view of the above, there exists a need for sounding device which overcomes the above mentioned problems in the prior art. This invention addresses this need in the prior art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.
An issue for the present invention is, in a fishing-reel sounding device having a pawl member, in controlling tone fluctuations due to a change in the spool rotational direction.
A fishing-reel sounding device in accordance with the first aspect of the invention is a device for issuing sound through rotation reciprocal between a first component of the fishing reel, and a second component thereof that rotates reciprocally with respect to the first component, and is equipped with a sound-emitting member, a pawl member, and an urging member. The sound-emitting member is mounted non-rotatably to the first component, and on its outer periphery has a number of diametrically jutting jags. The pawl member has a body portion mounted pivotably on the second component; a pawl portion formed to the first-component side of the pivot center of the body portion, for colliding with the jags on the sound-emitting member; and on a side of the body portion astride the pivot center opposite the first-component side, an arcuate contact face whose radius on a first side is smaller than its radius on a second side, with a straight line joining the pivot center and the pawl portion being the dividing line. The urging member at one end is mounted on the second component, nearer the first side of the contact face, and extends from the one end to contact on the contact face, for urging the pawl portion of the pawl member into a collision posture in which it collides with the sound-emitting member.
When the first component rotates relative to the second component in this sounding device, the pawl member pivots by being pressed upon by the sound-emitting member. When the pawl member pivots, the one side or the other side of the pawl member presses on the urging member and the urging member urges the pawl member, returning the pawl member back into its collision posture. The sounding mechanism thereby issues sound by repeatedly colliding with the jags. In the one side or the other side of the contact face pressing on the urging member, Since one side (first side) of the pawl-member contact-face, which is nearer to where the urging member is mounted to the second component, has a smaller radius of curvature than that of the other side (second side), there is less discrepancy in displacement of the urging member between when the first side presses on the urging member and when the second side presses on the urging member. This therefore lessens disparity in urging force of the urging member, which controls fluctuations in tone.
Preferably, the fishing reel is a spinning reel having as the first component a spool shaft which is mounted non-rotatably but axially shiftably to the main body thereof, and as the second component a spool which is mounted on the spool shaft via a drag mechanism. The sound issues due to relative rotation between the spool shaft and the spool. In this case, fluctuations in tone of a sounding device, which issues sound through rotation reciprocal between a spool shaft and a spool in a spinning reel in order to indicate that the drag is operating, can be controlled.
A fishing-reel sounding device in accordance with the second aspect of the invention is the device set forth in the first aspect, wherein the pawl portion is lengthwise formed longer in the rotational-axis direction of the spool than the rest of the pawl member. In this case, since the pawl portion, which contacts the sound-emitting member, is longer lengthwise in the spool axial direction, the pawl portion""s range of contact in the spool axial direction is broad. Therefore, sound issues reliably, even though the front-to-rear position of the spool is adjusted in order to, for example, modify the line-winding configuration.
A fishing-reel sounding device in accordance with the third aspect of the invention is the device of the first aspect, wherein the pawl member is in the form of an approximate triangle whose corners are each rounded, with the contact face being formed on an arcuate curve formed between joining first and second corners and the pawl portion being formed at a third corner. These conditions enable constituting the pawl member by a simple conformation.
A fishing-reel sounding device in accordance with the fourth aspect is the device recited in the third aspect, wherein the first corner being located on the first side, while the second corner being located on the second side. Each of the first and second corners is rounded. The first corner is larger in rounding radius than is the second corner. Given these conditions, when the urging member is pressed on by a corner, since the rounding radius of the first corner on the first side is larger, displacement of the urging member with the first side is lessened further.
A fishing-reel sounding device in accordance with the fifth aspect of the invention is the device recited in the first aspect, wherein the urging member is a plate spring formed by bending a spring-plate material. In this case, utilizing a plate spring lets the installation area for the device to be made smaller, to house the sounding device even in a narrow space.
These and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment of the present invention.